Yeah Trivia Quiz

Answer: Aye

The word 'begins' is a clue to the fact that the initial letters of the first three words lead to the correct answer. 'A Young Ensign' gives the word 'aye', often thought of in a nautical connection, as in 'Aye, aye, Sir!', when used to a senior officer.

The word is used in that way by the younger members of the families in Arthur Ransome's 'Swallows and Amazons' series of books when addressing John Walker, as captain of the 'Swallow' and Nancy Blackett, as captain of the 'Amazon'. 'Aye' can also be heard in parts of Tyneside in north-eastern England, where it is often followed by an enthusiastic 'That's champion!', to make an emphatic, but informal affirmative expression. The word also occurs in the much more formal setting of the House of Commons, when votes are being taken - they are counted as 'Ayes', which are for the motion, and 'Noes' which are against it.

Answer: Sure thing

The words 'turns round' are a clue to an anagram. Rearranging the letters in 'night user' leads to the affirmative 'sure thing'.

Although Robert Burns wrote, 'There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing', the expression is often used as an informal agreement to fulfil a request. For instance I might ask, "Will you pick up some bread from the shop while you're out, please?", and hope that the reply is "Sure thing", or just "Sure".

Answer: Okay

A hidden word is indicated by 'find'. The four letters of 'okay' are inside 'coOK A Yam'.

Okay, or OK, is a very informal expression indicating agreement. It is thought to have originated in the nineteenth century in the United States, and is the initial letters of 'orl korrect' - a humorous misspelling of 'all correct'. Sometimes people will say "A-OK" meaning 'All OK' or 'everything's fine'; this was first used by American astronauts in the 1960s. Another variation is 'okey-dokey'.

Answer: Rather

Another anagram is suggested by the word 'flips'. In this case just swapping the two words 'her rat' leads to 'rather'.

With the emphasis on both syllables and a slight gap between them, the word is a now somewhat outdated British expression of approval. It might have been used as the answer to questions such as,"Would you like to spend tomorrow at the cricket?" or "Would you like a scone with your tea this afternoon?"

Answer: No problem

The word 'alters' leads to an anagram. 'No problem' can be made from the letters in 'Pern bloom'.

Pern is an imaginary planet created by Anne McCaffrey for her series of fantasy novels. 'No problem' or 'No worries' are both expressions which might be used in response to a request to do something for someone. It implies that complying with the request will not cause a problem.

Answer: Nod

Taking every other letter, as indicated by 'alternately', of 'aNd OdD' gives 'nod', which is in affirmative gesture in much of the English speaking world.

It is also used in expressions such as 'to give the nod' or 'on the nod', to indicate agreement in an informal way. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999) defines the expression as 'by general agreement and without discussion'.

Answer: Certainly

Another anagram is indicated by 'move'. The letters in 'lyre act in' can be rearranged to make the word 'certainly'.

In A.A. Milne's poem, 'The King's Breakfast', the Dairymaid replies 'Certainly,
I'll go and tell the cow Now Before she goes to bed' in response to the King's request for 'butter for the Royal slice of bread'.

Answer: All right

The symbol for silver is 'Ag' in Chemistry. Rearranging this with the letters of 'thrill', as indicated by 'moves' leads to the expression 'all right'.

In this case it is 'right' as the opposite of 'wrong' rather than the opposite of 'left'. It comes from the Old English 'riht'. Charles Coborn, a singer from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and best known for "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" and "Two Lovely Black Eyes", also sang a song entitled "He's All Right When You Know Him".

Answer: Yes

The word 'uncover' indicates that the answer is hidden somewhere in the clue. In this case 'eYE Something' contains what is probably the simplest, and most common, affirmative word in the English language - 'yes'. It comes from the Old English 'gese' or 'gise'.

The BBC comedy series "Yes, Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister", always finished with the civil servant quoting the title in a resigned tone. In 2012 David Cameron, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said that as a student he had thought the series were not very true to life, but he had changed his mind since then.

Answer: Yep

The word 'finally' indicates that the last letters of the three words 'onlY wE shoP' will give the answer. 'Yep' is a corruption of the more common 'yes'.

In a similar vain are 'ya', and the 'yeah' in the title of this quiz. In my imagination, Dylan, the rabbit from 'The Magic Roundabout', might say 'Yeah' in a rather lazy fashion to a suggestion made to him.